ST. LOUIS – No. 7 Missouri Baptist University Baseball extended its winning streak to 12 games after defeating Columbia College (25-9-1, 15-2-1) on Tuesday, April 14, on Spartan Field.
The former American Midwest Conference (AMC) rivals share a long-standing history dating back to 2017. The Spartans gained their third consecutive win over the Cougars to extend the all-time series to 20-17.
Nick Beech put the Spartans on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first with an RBI groundout, and
Carlos Hidalgo followed in the third with his 10
th homer of the season to gain a 2-0 lead in the third.
Joseph Guinta, a junior transfer from Compton College, took the mound for the Spartans and held the Cougars scoreless in the first five innings.
The Cougars finally gained traction in the top of the sixth with a homer of their own, but
Kai Gray responded with a base hit, a stolen base, and scored off a single by
Sam Paule.
After six innings pitched, MBU brought in
Jackson Wells (3-2) to relieve Guinta. Despite a rocky start with a CC homer off the first pitch, he closed out the inning with one run on two hits.
Leading 3-2, the Spartans turned up the heat in the bottom of the seventh.
Sam Paule and Beech each knocked the ball out of the park with runners on base, and
Kevin Watkins doubled for an RBI.
Unable to contain the MBU offense, the Cougars put in their fifth pitcher of the game.
In the final innings,
Gavin Raab and
JD Whitter combined for scoreless relief to seal the win 9-2. Â
Guinta improved his season record to 3-0 with four strikeouts and zero walks, allowing only five hits and one run in 91 pitches.
Paule led all scorers with four RBI, while Beech followed with three, including his ninth home run of the season.
MBU Baseball improved to 32-5 overall and 19-1 to lead the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
NEXT UP: The Spartans travel to Fayette, Missouri, for a four-game series against Central Methodist University. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday, April 17, and noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 18.
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